4.5 inch trackball mounting advice.

[Wolfman5750]

So I found a 4.5" happ trackball on ebay for 5 bucks and decided it was a good deal. I'm in the process of designing a control panel around it. I'm in the middle of cleaning the bearings out and some new rollers are on the way.  So far it's looking like it was a good deal so far.

There are two things I didn't realize about this trackball though...

It's really heavy...

And the trackball comes out of the top...

I've searched the forum and haven't found any examples of someone mounting one of these in a wood cp.

So this is what I'm thinking. I'm going to use 3/4" MDF for my CP. On the bottom around the edges I'll route a beveled edge 1/8" deep and then put 1/8" plexi on top (I think mountain did this). I'll attach the trackball to the bottom of the cp and then route 5/8" deep in the top of the cp where it will sit on top of the trackball.  That will leave 1/8" of wood above the trackball itself I'll cut a hole slightly smaller than the trackball diameter and then route the circle with a 45 degree bit.  Then I'll do the opposite to the plexi.

I'm attaching a paint sketch in case what I wrote doesn't make any sense.  What do you think?

Thanks

[Blanka]

If you just use 3 mm plexi or so, all you need to do is make a round hole and sand the edges. It's strong enough to cantilever a bit inward from the mdf edge. Keed the MDF a little wider. Forget all the taper routing! Way to difficult to do nice. Guess your drawing is way out of scale. In real sizes you'll see the 3mm does not need to be tapered.

[Wolfman5750]

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, the picture's definitely not to scale. I threw it together in about 2 minutes in paint.

The only reason I was considering routing the plexi was because I thought mountain's looked really nice.

What do you mean by Keed the MDF a little wider?

[Blanka]

Keed must be keep

[Wolfman5750]

Awesome. Definitely simpler that what I was thinking. do you think there would be a problem with artwork curling or peeling away from the plexiglass there?

[Blanka]

Guess that depends on the stiffness of the sheet. Guess its no problem. Even a sheet of plain paper will stay horizontal extending a small amount like here.